Alvord Unified School District Report

Alvord Unified School District After School Program Review June 9, 2014 Joel D. Montero Chief Executive Officer Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM June 9, 2014 Sid Salazar, Ed.D., Superintendent Alvord Unified School District 10365 Keller Avenue Riverside, CA 92505 Dear Superintendent Salazar, In November 2013, the Alvord Unified School District and the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) entered into an agreement to provide a review of the district’s after school programs and services. Specifically, the agreement states that FCMAT will perform the following: 1. Conduct an organizational, staffing and efficiency review of the district’s after school intervention program. The department consists of four full time equivalent (FTE) management positions and 16 after school facilitator positions, two clerical positions, and one study trip supervisor represented by CSEA and staff contracted from outside to provide direct student services. The program is primarily funded through the After School Education and Safety Program (ASES), with funding for 2013-14 projected to be approximately $3.2 million. The district serves approximately 18,950 students from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade in 14 elementary schools, four junior high schools and four high schools. The after school programs currently provide services to twelve elementary and four middle schools in the district. a. Review job descriptions for all department positions including management and classified support; evaluate capacity, scheduling, budget, efficiency, and functions; and make recommendations for staffing and operational improve- ments. Include estimated calculated values for any proposed position reduc- tions or enhancements to the organizational structure. b. Evaluate the operational work flow of each departmental function for the program including marketing, supplemental summer programs, and food service, and make recommendations for improved efficiency and standard industry practices, if any. This final report contains the study team’s findings and recommendations in the above areas of review. FCMAT appreciates the opportunity to serve the Alvord Unified School District, and extends thanks to all the staff for their assistance during fieldwork. Sincerely, Joel D. Montero Chief Executive Officer Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM i TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents About FCMAT .........................................................................................iii Introduction ............................................................................................1 Background ......................................................................................................1 Study Guidelines ............................................................................................1 Study Team.......................................................................................................2 Executive Summary ..............................................................................3 Findings and Recommendations .....................................................5 Program Implementation ...........................................................................5 Staffing and Organization ........................................................................15 Technology ....................................................................................................25 Strategy, Promotion, and Linking with the Local Control Accountability Plan ..........................................................27 Community Partners ...................................................................................29 Communication and Collaboration .......................................................33 Appendix ................................................................................................35 Alvord Unified School diStrtict ii Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM iii ABOUT FCMAT About FCMAT FCMAT’s primary mission is to assist California’s local K-14 educational agencies to identify, prevent, and resolve financial and data management challenges. FCMAT provides fiscal and data management assistance, professional development training, product development and other related school business and data services. FCMAT’s fiscal and management assistance services are used not just to help avert fiscal crisis, but to promote sound financial practices and efficient operations. FCMAT’s data management services are used to help local educational agencies (LEAs) meet state reporting responsibilities, improve data quality, and share information. FCMAT may be requested to provide fiscal crisis or management assistance by a school district, charter school, community college, county office of education, the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, or the Legislature. When a request or assignment is received, FCMAT assembles a study team that works closely with the local education agency to define the scope of work, conduct on-site fieldwork and provide a written report with findings and recommendations to help resolve issues, overcome challenges and plan for the future. Studies by Fiscal Year 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 92/93 93/94 94/95 95/96 96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 Alvord Unified School diStrtict seidutS fo rebmuN FCMAT also develops and provides numerous publications, software tools, workshops and professional development opportunities to help local educational agencies operate more effec- tively and fulfill their fiscal oversight and data management responsibilities. The California School Information Services (CSIS) arm of FCMAT assists the California Department of Education with the implementation of the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) and also maintains DataGate, the FCMAT/CSIS software LEAs use for CSIS services. FCMAT was created by Assembly Bill 1200 in 1992 to assist LEAs to meet and sustain their financial obligations. Assembly Bill 107 in 1997 charged FCMAT with responsi- bility for CSIS and its statewide data management work. Assembly Bill 1115 in 1999 codified CSIS’ mission. AB 1200 is also a statewide plan for county offices of education and school districts to work together locally to improve fiscal procedures and accountability standards. Assembly Bill 2756 (2004) provides specific responsibilities to FCMAT with regard to districts that have received emergency state loans. iv ABOUT FCMAT In January 2006, SB 430 (charter schools) and AB 1366 (community colleges) became law and expanded FCMAT’s services to those types of LEAs. Since 1992, FCMAT has been engaged to perform nearly 850 reviews for LEAs, including school districts, county offices of education, charter schools and community colleges. The Kern County Superintendent of Schools is the administrative agent for FCMAT. The team is led by Joel D. Montero, Chief Executive Officer, with funding derived through appropriations in the state budget and a modest fee schedule for charges to requesting agencies. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 1 INTRODUCTION Introduction Background In August 2013 the Alvord Unified School District requested that FCMAT assist the district by reviewing the district’s after school programs and services. The study agreement specifies that FCMAT will perform the following. 1. Conduct an organizational, staffing and efficiency review of the district’s after school intervention program. The department consists of four full time equiv- alent (FTE) management positions and 16 after school facilitator positions, two clerical positions, and one study trip supervisor represented by CSEA and staff contracted from outside to provide direct student services. The program is primarily funded through the After School Education and Safety Program (ASES), with funding for 2013-14 projected to be approximately $3.2 million. The district serves approximately 18,950 students from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade in 14 elementary schools, four junior high schools and four high schools. The after school programs currently provide services to twelve elementary and four middle schools in the district. a. Review job descriptions for all department positions including manage- ment and classified support; evaluate capacity, scheduling, budget, efficiency, and functions; and make recommendations for staffing and operational improvements. Include estimated calculated values for any proposed position reductions or enhancements to the organizational structure. b. Evaluate the operational work flow of each departmental function for the program including marketing, supplemental summer programs, and food service, and make recommendations for improved efficiency and standard industry practices, if any. Study and Report Guidelines FCMAT visited the district on December 18-20, 2013 and January 7-8, 2014 to conduct interviews, collect data and review documents. This report is the result of those activities and is divided into the following sections: • Executive Summary • Program Implementation • Staffing and Organization • Technology Alvord Unified School diStrtict 2 INTRODUCTION • Strategy, Promotion, and Linking with the Local Control Accountability Plan • Community Partners • Communication and Collaboration • Appendices In writing its reports, FCMAT uses the Associated Press Stylebook, a comprehensive guide to usage and accepted style that emphasizes conciseness and clarity. In addition, this guide empha- sizes plain language, discourages the use of jargon and capitalizes relatively few terms. Study Team The study team was composed of the following members: Debi Deal, CFE, CICA Rita Beyers FCMAT Fiscal Intervention Specialist FCMAT Consultant Bakersfield, CA Chula Vista, CA John Lotze FCMAT Technical Writer Bakersfield, CA Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Executive Summary Alvord Unified School District serves approximately 18,950 students in transitional kindergarten through grade 12 at 14 elementary schools, four junior high schools and four high schools. The district has provided after school programs for approximately 2,600 students at 12 elementary and four middle schools. Between the district and its community partners, more than 175 indi- viduals provide service to this program. The program is funded through in-kind contributions and the ASES grant. Funding for 2013-14 projected to be approximately $3.2 million. Based on information provided during the FCMAT study, administration of the ASES program is adequate and not out of compliance with the requirements of Proposition 49 and the After School Education and Safety (ASES) program grant funding. The district has lost more than $458,000 over a six-year period, or 12%, of total revenues, due to a decline in attendance. It is anticipated that the district will continue to lose funding based on current year attendance projections. The district has experienced significant tension between the program coordinator and its employees as well as the primary district partner, the Boys & Girls Club of Riverside County. During the 2012-13 school year, the district entered into a contract with the Boys & Girls Club of Riverside County, and the relationship between the two entities has been tenuous from the start. Alvord Unified School diStrtict Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 5 PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION Findings and Recommendations Program Implementation Grant and Requirements Proposition 49, which passed in 2002, authorized the After School Education and Safety program (ASES). ASES is a before- and after-school program that provides tutoring, homework assistance and educational enrichment for elementary and middle school students in kindergarten through grade nine. The program’s intent is to provide children with additional academic assis- tance in a safe and educational environment during non-school hours, and promote partnerships and collaboration among students, parents, educational agencies, local public agencies, commu- nity-based organizations, and the private sector. The grant funds are intended to supplement, not supplant, existing services for students. Beginning with the 2004-05 school year, the ASES program expanded eligibility and created several new requirements including the following: • The pupil-to-staff ratio must be no more than 20-to-1 (Education Code section 8483.) • The program is to operate a minimum of 15 hours per week and until at least 6 p.m. daily. The program must begin immediately following the end of the school day and operate every school day during the regular school year for at least five days per week and three hours per day. • Staff members who supervise pupils must meet minimum qualifications; meet additional hiring requirements; and have health and fingerprint clearances. • A nutritious snack must be provided daily to students and must meet standards in Education Code (EC) section 49430. The program requires the grantee to provide a safe environment and to include both literacy and educational enrichment components that reinforce and expand the content of the regular school day. The literacy component must provide tutoring and/or homework assistance for at least one of the core academic subjects: math, language arts, history, social sciences, or science. The educa- tional enrichment component must offer activities that support and complement the school’s programs. Approved activities for this component can include arts, physical activity, recreation, community service-learning, work preparation, career awareness, or other youth development activities. ASES grants are renewable and funded for three years. The allocation for after school programs is $7.50 per student per day with a legislated annual funding cap of $112,500 for elementary schools and $150,000 for middle schools. Maximum funding is reached when a district has 15,000 student attendance days for elementary or 20,000 student attendance days for middle or junior high schools. Currently, the district has 12 elementary and four middle school sites operating after school programs for 2597 students. At least 85% of the funds must be allocated to direct services, and up to 15% of the grant can be used for administrative costs, which include indirect costs (maximum 5%), teacher training, and program administration. Alvord Unified School diStrtict 6 PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION Education Code section 8483.75 requires each program to provide a local matching contribution of $1 in cash or in-kind services for every $2 in total grant funding. No more than 25% of the local match contribution can be from facilities. The Legislature intended for elementary students to attend the program daily and for middle school and high students to attend minimum of nine hours and at least three days per week. Enrollment priority is to be given to students who attend daily. For a student’s attendance to be counted for one day, the student must attend for at least half the day’s program hours. The grantee must develop an early release policy for students who are unable to attend the program until the end of the day and a policy for late arrival to the program. Grantees are required to submit an annual budget, quarterly expenditure reports, semian- nual attendance reports, and an annual evaluation report to the California Department of Education (CDE). These reports are used to monitor program compliance and as part of the renewal process. Untimely submission of these reports may cause delays or withholding of grant payments. Daily sign-in and sign-out sheets must be maintained to provide records for compliance audits. These records should be reconciled with monthly attendance and must be maintained for five years following the end of the grant. If the CDE determines that the program does not comply with the reporting requirements, the grant may be terminated. The California State Department of Education requires that After School Education and Safety (ASES) programs be “aligned with, and not be a repeat of, the content of regular school day and other extended learning opportunities” (http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ba/as/pgmdescription.asp). The state also requires that ASES programs consist of the literacy and educational enrichment elements as described below, and that ASES program leaders work closely with school site prin- cipals and staff to integrate both elements with the school’s curriculum, instruction, and learning support activities. The district’s elementary school ASES program consists of 45 minutes of homework assistance and 45 minutes of academic intervention; the remainder of the time until 6 p.m. is devoted to enrichment. The middle school ASES program consists of a minimum of 75 minutes of home- work assistance and academic intervention, with the remaining time used for enrichment. Literacy Enrichment As previously mentioned, the literacy element must provide tutoring and/or homework assistance designed to help students meet state standards in one or more of the core academic subjects: reading/language arts, mathematics, history and social studies, or science. A district may imple- ment a broad range of activities depending on local student needs and interests. Although the district’s after school program has a number of intervention programs at its sites, the district uses curriculum from Scholastic as its main intervention programs because students are able to move through these programs at their own pace. According to documents provided to FCMAT, Scholastic programs in use include the following: • READ 180 • System 44 • ReadAbout • FASTT Math • Fraction Nation Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 7 PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION • iRead • Scholastic Reading Skills Kits Because these are the after school program’s main intervention programs, the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) and the Scholastic Math Inventory (SMI) are used to measure student progress. During FCMAT’s fieldwork, the after school program coordinator noted that students should be taking the SRI and SMI three to four times a year to measure their progress but was not sure if all students had been tested during the 2013-14 school year. The district uses Educator’s Assessment Data Management System (EADMS) for student data analysis and Aeries student information system for student attendance. The EADMS website notes that there is a partnership between Aeries and EADMS which allows the system to “handle all of [a district’s] student management, assessment, and analytic reporting needs” (www.eadms. com). But unfortunately Scholastic programs do not have the ability interface to either Aeries or EADMS. It would benefit the district to contact Scholastic to see if there is a way to provide connectivity to the district’s data management systems, or use enrichment programs that will interface with existing systems. Other programs the district uses include Voyager Learning, Leapfrog, and Sunburst. All programs emphasize reading, math, and/or language arts. After school program teachers develop curriculum binders designed to align with the district’s core curriculum. These binders provide intervention activities for grades one through five. A PowerPoint presentation dated August 3, 2011 indicated that teacher representatives and teachers on special assignment (TOSAs) organize the after school program curriculum to create the binders. One purpose of the binders was to ensure that all after school program curriculum be used on a rotating basis. Each binder contains a monthly outline of the tools to use each week and detailed instructions for the English language arts and math activities to be used. Binders also ensure that the same activities are not used for each grade level; each grade level has its own distinct set of English language arts and math activities. After school program staff recognize that the binders will need to be updated to include the district’s implementation of Common Core curriculum. Most staff interviewed realize that there are several curriculum-based program options available for the district’s after school program; however, there is a lack of consistency among school sites. Individuals interviewed identified several reasons for the lack of consistent implementation including a lack of follow-up training and monitoring; school site preference for certain programs over others; and a perception that some after school program activities are not aligned to the district’s curriculum. It would benefit the district to provide a standard structure for programs at all sites. After school facilitators questioned the decision to use special education instructional aides instead of credentialed teachers or regular after school program staff for the Read 180 and Systems 44 programs being provided two hours each day following the regular school day. A review of the Read 180 and Systems 44 websites indicate that a credentialed teacher should provide initial instruction, while some portions of the programs may be provided by instructional assistants. It would be beneficial to evaluate whether the after school program staff are qualified to provide this instruction and whether these programs can be included during the after school program time rather than using special education instructional assistants following the regular school day. Alvord Unified School diStrtict 8 PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION Educational Enrichment The educational enrichment element requires that the district offer an array of additional services, programs, and activities that reinforce and complement the school’s regular academic programs. Educational enrichment may include, but is not limited to, positive youth development strat- egies, recreation, and prevention activities. These can include the visual and performing arts, music, physical activity, health and nutrition promotion, general recreation, career awareness, work preparation activities, community service-learning, and other youth development activities based on student needs and interests. Enrichment activities may also be designed to enhance the core curriculum. The after school program coordinator acknowledged that enrichment activities should be stan- dards-based but recognized that not all site facilitators are aligning their enrichment activities with curriculum standards. In addition, as with the intervention programs, the coordinator indicated that using the after school program’s enrichment activities would help ensure that each grade level does something slightly different so students do not become bored with the same activities and drop out of the program as they advance from grade to grade. The after school program documents list several enrichment activities including Arts Attack; GeoFitness; SPARK Fitness; Hoopersize; Ropework; Skilastics; and BrickLab STEM. Additional enrichment activities include the following: • League sports (soccer, basketball, football, and tennis) • Crafts • Dance • Cheer • Cooking • Health programs • Photography • Yoga Some school sites develop monthly themes and coordinate their enrichment activities around these themes, but this is not consistent from site to site. The facilitators explained that the enrichment program gives them the opportunity to use their creativity to develop programs and activities based on the skills of their staff and the interests of the students. Some facilitators and staff acknowledged that there are some programs, such as Arts Attack, that students do not find interesting. Such programs are used less frequently, and facilita- tors prefer to develop other options for their students. Both the after school program coordinator and the local Boys and Girls Club administrators acknowledged that they have discussed the need for the enrichment programs to reinforce and complement the district’s academic program. The Boys and Girls Club administrators indicated that they had conducted some training with their staff regarding the Common Core standards and that they are willing to adapt their programs to meet the district’s needs. The after school program coordinator does not support using the Boys and Girls Club program because it is the district’s responsibility to ensure that programs are aligned with the district’s standards. It would benefit the district to maintain control over the program development and content to ensure Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 9 PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION compliance with state requirements. It is best practice for all after school programs to align with their district’s implementation of Common Core standards and instruction. Representatives from after school programs in school district comparable to Alvord Unified concur that the district should control enrichment program content to ensure that these programs complement its academic programs. Representatives from Riverside Unified, Orange Unified and Poway school districts discussed creating activities and programs that provide proj- ect-based learning and that support science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities. District representatives believed that the after school program can support academic programs by helping students develop critical thinking skills and by using hands-on projects rather than adhering strictly to academic standards. Recommendations The district should: 1. Consult with representatives from Scholastic to determine whether there is a way to provide connectivity to the district’s data management systems, or consider using a different program to link enrichment activities with student attendance and test scores. 2. Provide a standardized structure for programs at all school sites. 3. Evaluate the qualifications of facilitators to provide specialized instruction that is currently provided by special education instructional assistants following the regular school day. 4. Maintain control over program development and content to ensure compli- ance with state requirements. 5. Review after school program curricula for alignment with the district’s imple- mentation of Common Core standards and instruction. 6. Ensure that its after school programs use supplemental programs and mate- rials provided with its core curriculum. 7. Provide training for teachers and the after school program staff on how to coordinate the district’s core programs with after school program. 8. Ensure that all staff have a clear understanding of how the after school program is to support the core program. 9. Develop a districtwide purpose for after school program’s enrichment time. Ensure that staff implement activities that support this purpose. Alvord Unified School diStrtict 10 PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION Program Coordination To ensure that the after school program focuses on literacy and educational enrichment as required, the program is staffed with the following district personnel: • Certificated program coordinator • Certificated program manager • Two classified program supervisors • 16 facilitators • 16 academic coaches Community partners provide additional program staff including employees from City of Riverside Recreation Services, the local Boys and Girls Club, and the Wylie Center. At the school sites, the district facilitators are responsible for the day-to-day program operation while City of Riverside site coordinators and the Boys and Girls Club site coordinators supervise their respec- tive staff. One of the facilitators’ responsibilities is to meet at least twice a month with their school site principals. Individuals interviewed reported that some sites held meetings every week; other site facilitators and principals meet less than once a month; and others meet as needed. The level of interest expressed by principals varied greatly. It would benefit the district to encourage the principals, academic coaches, site facilitators and site coordinators or assistant recreation coordi- nators to plan the site’s after school program for a semester or year and to ensure there is proper coordination and alignment with the school site plan and the district’s academic goals. The facilitators and principals recognize that communication is critical to the program. Communication methods mentioned include email, telephone, and staff collaboration time to share program information. Communication allows facilitators to plan for special events and provides the flexibility to change schedules accordingly. Some staff members indicated the importance of interacting with teacher coaches. This interaction is instrumental because they have the ability to work with after school program staff on implementing lessons and classroom management. One strategy discussed during FCMAT’s fieldwork is to have after school program staff observe classroom teachers so they can learn classroom management techniques that can be implemented in the after school program. Principals stated that having a good facilitator and program liaison allows them to focus on other aspects of the school’s academic program. They rely on the facilitators to ensure that the program runs properly and that students are well behaved while in the after school program. Some individuals interviewed commented that the after school program is more coordinated with the academic program when the principal is actively involved; principals stated that the program should be more clearly aligned and should require minimal involvement from site personnel because they are already fully occupied with the regular school program. Some facilitators stated that teachers contact them when their after school program students need help in academic subjects. In these cases, facilitators assign volunteer tutors from the high school, La Sierra University, and America Reads to provide individual or small group tutoring. The district’s after school program coordinator is a qualified trainer and periodically serves as a state trainer for the Riverside County Office of Education in training for principals. In the past, the coordinator has used after school program funds to pay for the district’s principals to attend Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 11 PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION the four half-days of training at the county office. This training covers program requirements, teaching to English learners, and available resources. The coordinator has worked with the county office and would like to conduct this training in the district in the spring of 2014. A survey of principals to determine the level of interest in professional development could provide a basis for meaningful dialog about strategies to link the site plan with the after school program. It would benefit the district to develop strategies that instill the importance of total curriculum alignment with after school program, the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Common Core State Standards. Recommendations The district should: 1. Provide meeting time for each principal, academic coach, site facilitator and site coordinator or assistant recreation coordinator to plan their school site’s after school program for a semester or year and to ensure there is proper coordination with the school site plan and the district’s academic goals. 2. Survey principals to determine their interest in staff development regarding the after school program. 3. Share communication strategies to improve coordination among school prin- cipals, teachers, site coordinators, and academic coaches. Consider including strategies such as regular meetings, site coordinator attendance at school staff meetings, and providing the site coordinators with copies of school informa- tion bulletins. Alvord Unified School diStrtict 12 PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION Program Materials Individuals interviewed expressed several concerns about the process for acquiring enrichment materials from the after school program office. To request materials, staff must first submit a monthly site plan to after school program management for approval, then submit a request form to an after school program supervisor who reviews the request and, if approved, provides the materials to the facilitator. Materials requested by Tuesday are usually delivered on Friday of the same week. Site facilitators indicate that they submit their agendas a month ahead of time and, if there is no feedback, they assume the agenda is approved. However, they often submit their supplies requests based on the agenda only to have the request rejected. Most recently, facilitators have been asked to submit a picture of the activity for which they need materials along with the quantity and monthly agenda linking the activity to the plan. Some facilitators stated that these requirements are excessive and make it difficult to get supplies. The perception is that if after school program managers do not like the project, they will not provide the supplies. Management needs to approve monthly plans in a timely manner and eliminate redundant steps in the ordering process. Although facilitators are encouraged to plan new activities to keep students interested and engaged in the after school program, there is a high level of frustration when plans and material requests are submitted in a timely manner but no response is received from management and materials are not delivered to the site. This causes site staff to switch activities rapidly, making it impossible to conduct the project as planned. Staff noted that this occurs approximately two to three times a month. Staff also reported similar issues with orders placed for repairs and/or replacement of athletic equipment such as knee pads. Site program staff indicated that they have a difficult time getting the materials and that orders are often incomplete. For example, materials were requested for an art project and the paper needed to implement the project was not provided so the project was changed to something less interesting than originally planned. One staff member commented that they would prefer to purchase the supplies needed themselves rather than trying to get the materials through the after school program office. FCMAT visited the after school program supplies room and found large quantities of craft supplies, replacement computer software and peripheral items, and sports equipment. Many of the materials and much of the equipment were outdated and would be better given to school sites, sold, or otherwise disposed of. School site staff expressed frustration with their inability to access these and other materials needed for their projects. The after school program coordinator reviews each request and, if approved, authorizes purchases as needed. It would benefit the district to consider authorizing school site budgets and giving school sites the ability to purchase supplies as needed. The after school program office supervisor and coordinator acknowledged the large inventory of materials and equipment and mentioned that they sometimes retain inventory to ensure there will be no shortfall if monies run out. In addition to the supply room, there is also a storage shed full of unusable materials that needs to be processed and removed. Many site personnel are aware of the storage shed of outdated materials and indicated that some of this inventory could be used in the program. Requests to access these materials have been denied and so have ceased. The after school program coordinator stated that she prefers that the sites use purchased programs, such as Arts Attack, during the enrichment time. Because of this, when sites request materials the coordinator requires that they attach their plan to the request form. The coordi- Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 13 PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION nator indicated that she has a credit card that she uses to purchase special materials as well as cooking supplies for school sites that have cooking programs. Documents and emails provided to FCMAT verify the requirement to provide documentation and completed explanations to support the use of supplies and materials. Several emails explain that materials will not be provided because forms were sent in late, materials were considered unnecessary, or information about where to purchase the materials was not provided. The emails also mention that the coordinator personally purchases materials that are not routinely stocked. Another option to ensure that sites receive materials and supplies in time for projects would be to authorize open purchase orders and allow each school site to purchase what is needed for their monthly projects and activities. This would allow the coordinator to place orders that can be delivered to school sites, thus reducing the need for the coordinator to conduct shopping trips and increasing efficiency. Recommendations The district should: 1. Streamline the requisition process so that once the school sites’ monthly plans are approved, materials are provided for all activities. 2. Consider authorizing school site budgets and enabling school sites to purchase supplies as needed. 3. Consider creating open purchase orders with vendors of materials that are not routinely stocked. 4. Determine if out dated materials and equipment should be disbursed to school sites, sold or otherwise disposed of. Alvord Unified School diStrtict 14 Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 15 STAFFING AND ORGANIZATION Staffing and Organization The district’s after school program is large, operating at 16 school sites and a total of 175 staff, including employees of the district, the City of Riverside, the local Boys and Girls Club, and the Wylie Center. In addition to the regular staff, the district engages other community partners from the University of California at Riverside and La Sierra University to provide tutoring and other volunteer services. The district’s outreach also includes the Riverside business community and Community Action Partnership of Riverside County. The following table shows the after school program’s staffing by district and community partners. After School Program Staffing by Agency Alvord Unified School City of Riverside Boys & Girls Club of the District Recreation Services Inland Empire Wylie Center 1- Coordinator – certificated 1- Coordinator 1-Program Director 8-Counselors 1-Program Manager – certifi- cated 4- ARC 12-Site coordinators 2-Program Supervisors – clas- sified 10-Recreational Leaders 73- Youth Specialists 1- Secretary 24-Instructors 16-Academic Coach Liaisons- teachers 4-Lifeguards 16-Facilitators – classified 1-Study Trip Supervisors - clas- sified The district’s staffing includes 22 staff positions and 16 stipends to teachers to serve as liaisons between the regular school day and after school programs. Coordinator, After School Student Programs The coordinator position is the district administrator for developing and implementing after school programs. Essential responsibilities of this position include working in cooperation with the school site administrators to ensure that the after school program has activities that support and enhance student success in the district’s core academic program as described in each school site’s Single Plan for Student Achievement. Additional responsibilities include the following: • Coordinating program-related meetings with staff, parents, community partners and members • Planning in-service training programs • Maintaining compliance with after school program grant funding requirements • Managing the ordering of materials and supplies • Maintaining accurate accounting of the budget and of the inventory of materials and equipment The job description’s minimum qualifications include the ability to plan, organize, control, and direct the after school program programs, and demonstrate effective communication and inter- personal skills, including the use of tact and patience. Alvord Unified School diStrtict 16 STAFFING AND ORGANIZATION The coordinator is extremely knowledgeable regarding the program components and require- ments. Her experience includes training and helping other agencies with after school programs at the state and county level. In particular, she has focused much of her effort on coordinating the after school program with the regular school day curriculum by purchasing technology-based intervention tools. The coordinator has teachers create grade-level curriculum binders that support grade-level standards and pacing guides to reinforce concepts taught during the school day. Staff interviewed acknowledged that the coordinator has upgraded the after school program from after school day care and nonacademic activities to a program with a strong academic focus. There is a broad recognition that the coordinator understands the rules and regulations governing the program. However, staff expressed concerns that although the coordinator’s ideas regarding program direction may reflect the purpose of the ASES grant, their presentation and implementation was often dictatorial and left no option for discussion and staff input. There is a perception that the coordinator has a broad vision for the program but does not collaborate well with staff. Many individuals interviewed commented that they did not feel supported by the coordinator and that the coordinator does not foster a harmonious work environment. The job description establishes that the coordinator must be capable of demonstrating effective communication and interpersonal skills, including the use of tact and patience, yet the general consensus is that the coordinator needs administrative support and coaching to improve these skills. Providing the coordinator with administrative support and coaching to improve her skills as an instructional leader of the after school program would benefit the district and the program. Many individuals interviewed expressed the perception that the coordinator exercises tight control over the after school program by limiting and regulating information, excluding certain individuals from meetings, and controlling decision-making. The individuals interviewed noted that such tactics result in a lack of effectiveness and efficiency. The coordinator’s annual perfor- mance evaluation needs to indicate the individual’s ability to successfully lead the after school program. Recommendations The district should: 1. Provide the coordinator with administrative support and coaching to improve her skills as an instructional leader of the after school program. 2. As program changes occur, ensure that the program coordinator includes staff in the communication and that adequate professional development is provided to accomodate the changes. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 17 STAFFING AND ORGANIZATION After School Program Manager The program manager is a leadership position that helps the coordinator meet the after school program accountability standards at the elementary and middle schools. The minimum qual- ifications for this position include teaching and administrative credentials plus a minimum of three years of teaching experience. The program manager is responsible for supervising the site facilitators and office personnel. Representative duties and responsibilities include the following: • Coordinating after school activities and accountability measures with the cooperation of site administrators • Helping the coordinator organize and facilitate staff in-services • Working with the coordinator and other district staff to maintain grant compliance • Organizing and maintaining record-keeping systems for student accountability, students’ special needs, and inventory control • Serving as the after school program administrative designee during after school hours • Directing the duties and assigning after school program staff • Helping the program coordinator order materials and supplies • Maintaining an accurate accounting of the budget and inventory of materials and equipment Although the job description lists development and maintenance of student recordkeeping systems and the responsibility for materials and supplies, these responsibilities have been reas- signed to one of the after school program supervisors. The after school program manager visits after school program sites with one of the program supervisors during operating hours to monitor and support implementation of the programs. The program manager is responsible for any major discipline issues because he is the only manager other than the coordinator who holds an administrative credential. When the issues are serious, he coordinates his work with the school site administrators. After School Program Supervisor The job description defines this position as the primary resource for scheduling after school site personnel and events, assisting in after school staff supervision, and coordinating a variety of site- based activities. Examples of duties and responsibilities include the following: • Helping the program coordinator in a leadership role • Assisting with the supervision of after school program personnel, including those from partner agencies • Helping with the daily operations of after school program, including student supervision and discipline for minor infractions • Conducting facility inspections • Supporting and serving as liaison to school personnel The district has two supervisors. The job description does not fully depict their assigned duties, which include managing the snack program; monitoring and providing supplies and materials Alvord Unified School diStrtict 18 STAFFING AND ORGANIZATION to sites; monitoring and auditing the attendance system; and supporting and monitoring the facilitators. Because the coordinator and program manager perform supervision and leadership functions, the two supervisors’ roles in these areas are limited. Many site personnel perceive that the supervisors mainly provide clerical services, and thus ques- tion the importance of classifying these positions as supervisors. It would benefit the district to develop a management assignment list that clarifies the responsibilities of each manager, and to analyze each manager’s assignments and determine whether there are sufficient management tasks to justify each classification. One of the supervisors is assigned to monitor the snack program. A sampling of emails from this supervisor consisted of requests for missing snack sheets. There were also emails from the after school program secretary that primarily dealt with snack program problems. The other supervisor is charged with attendance and generates a variety of attendance reports including individual statistical site reports based on attendance data from the current and prior fiscal years. One attendance report creates a list of errors for site facilitators to correct. Because student attendance generates after school program funding, the accuracy of attendance records is critical. The supervisor also prepares statistical reports that compare attendance at each school to the prior year. This report identifies schools that are meeting attendance targets, those that may be in danger of losing funding, and those that are below the target and will most likely lose funding. The following table shows a six-year history of after school program funding by school site and identifies the school sites that contribute to the dollar losses in each year because of declines in attendance. Over the six year period, the district has lost $458,379, or 12% of its after school program funding. It is anticipated that Foothill Elementary, La Granada Elementary, Arizona Middle and Wells Middle schools may need assistance or could lose funding for the 2014-15 fiscal year based on current attendance. Highlighted amounts in the following table indicate a reduction in funding from the previous fiscal year. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 19 STAFFING AND ORGANIZATION Alvord Unified School District After School Program Funding by School Site, 2007-08 through 2012-13 School 2012-13 2012-11 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08 Allan Orrenmaa $189,833 $189,833 $189,833 $189,833 $189,833 $189,833 Arizona $162,772 $162,772 $162,772 $210,771 $210,771 $210,771 Arlanza $174,988 $174,988 $174,988 $174,988 $174,988 $174,988 Collett $173,422 $173,422 $173,422 $173,422 $173,422 $173,422 Foothill $283,385 $283,385 $283,385 $283,385 $283,385 $318,148 La Granada $301,489 $301,489 $301,489 $301,489 $301,489 $319,512 Loma Vista MS $271,238 $271,238 $354,000 $354,000 $354,000 $354,000 Myra Linn $173,037 $173,037 $173,037 $244,279 $244,279 $258,792 Phillip M. Stokoe $124,200 $124,200 $124,200 $124,200 $124,200 $124,200 Rosemary Kennedy $223,466 $249,603 $272,932 $275,498 $275,498 $275,498 S. Christa McAuliffe $172,306 $172,306 $172,306 $172,306 $172,306 $172,306 Terrace $267,031 $290,605 $320,847 $320,847 $320,847 $320,847 Twinhill $166,725 $166,725 $166,725 $166,725 $166,725 $166,725 Valley View $131,088 $140,479 $140,479 $140,479 $140,479 $140,479 Wells MS $227,100 $227,100 $227,100 $227,100 $227,100 $300,938 Ysmael Villegas MS $209,775 $209,775 $209,775 $209,775 $209,775 $209,775 Total $3,251,855 $3,310,957 $3,447,290 $3,569,097 $3,569,097 $3,710,234 Decline in Funding From Previous Year $59,102 $136,333 $121,807 $0 $141,137 In addition to this attendance tracking and funding data, the supervisor has created a model, by school site, that projects current attendance and anticipated attendance at a given point in time. The green highlighting indicates sites that are above, at or below their attendance target. The supervisor maintains this information, which is critical to management because it allows managers to monitor individual school sites at risk of losing funding and provide timely interven- tion. Management will need to focus on schools that are in jeopardy of losing funding and find ways to work with these school sites to increase attendance. Recommendations The district should: 1. Develop a management assignment list that clarifies the responsibilities of each manager. 2. Analyze each supervisor’s assignments and determine whether there are suffi- cient management tasks to justify the supervisor classification. 3. Ensure that management focuses on schools that are in jeopardy of losing funding and finds ways to work with these school sites to increase attendance. Alvord Unified School diStrtict 20 STAFFING AND ORGANIZATION Study Trip Supervisor The job description for the study trip supervisor states that the position reports to the after school program coordinator and transports students to and from all district facilities. When the super- visor is not transporting students, this position helps with student activities. Duties and responsibilities of this position include supervising students and helping with student activities during study trips; transporting no more than seven students at one time; supervising students and/or assisting with student activities; assisting with routine clerical duties and routine information and operational records; and keeping the interior of the after school program vehi- cles clean. Coach Liaison This position is paid with a stipend and is open to teachers; one teacher in this position is provided for each school site. Before the 2013-14 school year, the stipend for this position was $250 per month for 10 months, not to exceed $2,500. For the 2013-14 school year, the stipend was increased to $400 per month for 10 months, not to exceed $4,000. The position reports directly to the after school program coordinator. The major tasks of this position are as follows: • Work collaboratively with the after school program coordinator to develop curricular components, implement standard content and develop plans for sites • Explain state standards, concepts and district homework guidelines to site facilitators, site staff and parents as needed • Serve as a liaison between daytime instructional program to assure alignment • Provide training for site staff and facilitators on helping with homework, using supplemental curricular sources, classroom management technique and practice, and disguised learning methods • Provide a minimum of three staff development trainings for respective sites that address needs determined by observation and consultation with after school program management The coach liaisons are to meet weekly with the site facilitators to plan and review weekly calen- dars and to identify needs for staff development, including academic intervention strategies. They also are to provide model lessons during the year; coach program staff to provide age-appropriate, standards based activities that support but differ from the regular school program; monitor class- room management and provide feedback to site facilitators and after school program manage- ment; and encourage student recruitment to meet attendance needs. The program coordinator explained that the position has evolved to support the after school program’s instructional intervention and classroom management. To accomplish this, the coaches have access to student data and work with the facilitators to help students who are struggling. There have been after school program in-services in which coaches and site facilitators have been trained in how to work collaboratively to support students’ academic needs. To ensure that the collaboration is occurring, the coordinator requires them to complete a monthly report docu- menting their work. Because the after school program manager is the administrative designee during after school programs and is responsible for curriculum implementation, this position, rather than then program coordinator, is better suited and more appropriate to be responsible for Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 21 STAFFING AND ORGANIZATION the coaches. It would benefit the district to determine the most appropriate reporting structure for the academic coaches. School site principals have responsibility for selecting the respective coach liaisons and are encouraged to recruit a teacher for the position. The principals indicated that they open the position to all teachers and then generally accept the one person who volunteers. The facilitators stated that they usually work well with the coaches and appreciate the collabora- tion, particularly in planning and classroom management. The facilitators also noted that their access to student data is limited, so they rely on the coaches to gather information from the classroom teachers about students’ academic needs. The facilitators also indicated that the coaches sometimes notice issues with students and staff that the facilitators and agency coordinators miss. The facilitators also rely on the coach liaisons for information regarding teachers’ satisfaction with the after school program’s use of classrooms use to ensure that rooms are kept clean and orderly. Recommendation The district should: 1. Determine the most appropriate reporting structure for the coach liaisons. If the after school program manager is the administrative designee during the after school program and is also responsible for curriculum implementation, ensure that this position is responsible for the coaches. After School Program Site Facilitator The job description for the after school program site facilitator states that this position works under the direct supervision of the after school program coordinator and leads the after school program at the site level. The facilitator’s duties and responsibilities include the following: • Providing after school program leadership at the school site • Arranging the school site’s schedule of activities and assigning rooms to staff • Monitoring students’ whereabouts and providing discipline when needed • Supervising but not evaluating after school program personnel • Ensuring that school and program rules and regulations are observed • Ordering supplies and equipment • Acting as liaison between school and after school program staff Site facilitators noted that after school program has become more academic and that, although No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) does not require it, the program coordinator has encouraged facilitators to meet NCLB qualifications. The job description states that an Associate’s degree or 48 college semester units are desirable for this position. The site facilitators are responsible for developing monthly plans, ordering materials, monitoring program implementation, completing paperwork, entering attendance data, and coordinating the work of the coach liaisons, agency staff, and volunteers. The facilitators indicated that after school program paperwork increasingly takes time that should be spent monitoring and supporting their Alvord Unified School diStrtict 22 STAFFING AND ORGANIZATION programs. The facilitators explained that they are also responsible for student discipline, so must take statements and determine if an administrator needs to conduct an investigation. The facilitators interviewed stated that one of their major responsibilities is to develop monthly plans for their school sites. This includes developing activities for each grade level the after school program serves at their school. The facilitators stated that if they do not create engaging activities, students lose interest and drop out of the program. Some managers interviewed estimated that it should take facilitators about an hour to complete their daily paperwork and enter attendance. However, the facilitators and other managers estimated that these activities could take up to two hours, depending on interruptions and the stability of the Aeries program. Many staff interviewees discussed the reduction in facilitators’ hours. In the past the facilitators worked eight hours per day, 12 months per year; they now work six hours per day for 10 months per year. As the state finances began to affect the district, classified staff and managers’ salaries and time worked were reduced, though this did not affect the facilitators in the same fiscal year. Eventually, however, the facilitators’ workday and work year were reduced to six hours a day, 10 months a year, and this occurred the same year that all employees’ work hours were reduced further by furlough days. Thus the facilitators’ pay was reduced by a total of 38% in one year. The furlough days were rescinded for the 2013-14 school year, so the impact has been lessened. There is some acknowl- edgement that although the official work year for facilitators is 10 months, they work 11 months per year to support the supplemental summer program. Some employees acknowledged that when the facilitators worked eight hours per day there were times when there was little or no workload, and provided examples of facilitators spending an hour or two daily in non-work activities. The facilitators stated that the reduction in salary has affected their ability to provide for their families, and some indicated that it has affected their ability to do their job effectively and in a timely manner. Others stated that they are comfortable with their ability to do their work within the reduced number of hours. Some facilitators explained that because of the increased focus on academics, it takes time for them to develop monthly activity plans. Some mentioned that the task is easier if they collaborate but said that not all facilitators participate in collaboration. Some stated that sometimes issues arise that prevent them from completing all the paperwork they are required to do in the six hours they are allocated. Facilitators stated that they sometimes take work home or work more than their assigned hours. Two of the school districts FCMAT used for comparison, Poway Unified and Orange Unified, have site facilitators who work eight hours per day; however, these districts run both morning and afternoon programs. The third district, Riverside Unified, uses teachers to run the program. The school sites choose to have teachers either split a contract or have one teacher run the program. The Alvord Unified School District staffs one facilitator per school site, with the same work requirements, regardless of the size of the programs at the school site. Management confirmed that planning, paperwork, and especially entering attendance, all takes longer to complete for a larger school site. The larger schools also have more staff and students to supervise, which requires more time. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 23 STAFFING AND ORGANIZATION Average daily after school program attendance varied from 72 to 151 at elementary schools for the 2013-14 school year through December 2013. Information provided by the after school program office reveals that the ADA numbers for four elementary schools varied from 72 to 96; four from 101 and 107; and four from 130 to 151. Middle schools’ ADA numbers by site were 89, 119, 120 and 166. Management needs to consider using a staffing ratio to determine staffing and supplement it with additional staffing as needed. Several facilitators explained that there are multiple requests from management that replicate information that has already been provided. For example, the facilitators are required to submit a monthly activity plan that includes their school sites’ activities for a month; complete incident/ accident logs, snack sheets, and enter daily attendance; and complete a daily activity log that requires the same information provided in sections of the other reports. Some facilitators expressed a belief that the daily log is required so managers do not have to look in several files to find the information they need. Some facilitators explained that they did not have time to do repetitious paperwork; one facilitator created a method to reduce the paperwork and turned it in to the coordinator for consideration but has not received feedback. Facilitators expressed frustration because they perceive that some of the required paperwork is never reviewed. To test this theory, some personnel have listed activities like lion taming in their activity plans and never received any feedback from management. Site facilitators stated that new tasks or reports are added to the workload without dialogue or input from site program staff and without eliminating any existing tasks or reports. Staff indi- cated that even when some paperwork is reduced, the amount of additional work offsets any time savings and workloads increase. Management needs to review all report requirements to ensure that there is no redundancy, and solicit input from facilitators when implementing new tasks or reports. Recommendations The district should: 1. Consider ways to support the facilitators at school sites that have high after school program enrollment. Consider using a staffing ratio to determine staffing, and supplementing with additional staffing as needed. 2. Review the amount of paperwork that is required of facilitators and eliminate redundancy. 3. If paperwork is required, establish structures to ensure that it is necessary and that it is reviewed for content and accuracy. Alvord Unified School diStrtict 24 Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 25 TECHNOLOGY Technology The district uses Key Data Systems for data analysis and comparison of attendance and test score results. This data indicates that, as a whole, students who attend the after school program for 60 days or more have better attendance than students who do not attend the after school program. The data could not substantiate whether after school program attendance affects school atten- dance or vice versa. Key Data Systems analyzed the district’s California Standards Test (CST) or California Modified Assessment (CMA) English language arts and math results. The summary analysis of the 2013 Key Data Systems’ Alvord After School Program Report Part I states that students who attended the after school program for 60 days or more made “slightly greater gains” in elementary and middle school English language arts and in middle school math but that none of the results were statistically significant. Key Data Systems also analyzed cohort results for student who had attended after school program for 60 or more days in 2013 and found that students in grade four had a “robust increase” in their average CST and CMA English language arts scores from the 2011-12 to 2012-13 school year. The report noted that average English language arts scores decreased for students in all other grade levels. In math, students in grade three who attended the after school program for 60 or more days increased their average CST and CMA math scores while all other students showed a decrease. No evidence was presented to show causality for these test results; therefore, it is unclear whether the after school program affects student test scores. Technology upgrades Several employees complained that the district purchased 16 new computers and computer carts approximately five years ago but that these remain unused and still in original shipping boxes. The computers and carts were purchased with program funds at a cost of approximately $18,000. According to the program coordinator, the intent was for program staff to use the computers to take after school attendance. Staff reported that the computers were not delivered to the school sites until the 2013-14 school year and are now outdated and may not be compatible with the new upgraded Aeries attendance system. FCMAT found that after the purchase of the computers the district experienced difficulties with wireless connectivity and many sites were unable to use these computers for their intended purpose. In addition, the facilitators interviewed stated that after school program administra- tion would still require staff to keep paper copies of attendance for state reporting even if the computers were connected. There were several comments by the facilitators suggesting that there was not sufficient communication between the program staff and the technology department to ensure that the items purchased met program needs, and that this resulted in inoperable hard- ware and sometimes software. Staff members explained that the process used for taking after school attendance changed at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year when the after school program started using the district’s Aeries student information system. This change allows the district’s staff to identify which students from the regular school day are participating in the after school program. Because Aeries is used for student attendance during the school day, after school attendance is considered supplemental in the Aeries system. This has created the following issues: Alvord Unified School diStrtict 26 TECHNOLOGY • Once a month, the site facilitators come to the after school program office to pick up the subsequent month’s attendance roster for their school site. They also pick up a report that shows the attendance entered into the system for the previous month. The new rosters and the report are generated by one of the after school program supervisors. • Most of the facilitators have either Boys and Girls Club or City of Riverside staff record student attendance for their groups. At other school sites, the facilitator records student attendance. In both cases, the attendance is recorded on paper rosters and facilitators input the attendance by hand into the Aeries system from the paper copies. • Although the district has purchased hand scanners and the Aeries system can record attendance using the scanners, staff cannot take attendance with the scanners because after school program records attendance system uses a four-digit student identifier whereas the Aeries system uses a six-digit permanent student identification number. • Several staff members reported that the Aeries attendance system resets to the beginning of the student list after staff input attendance for a few students. As a result, this task, which has traditionally taken 15 to 20 minutes, now takes as long as two hours. Staff reported that the system is sometimes so slow that they have been counseled to do other paperwork while the Aeries system is timed out. This limits facilitators’ ability to participate in other aspects of the after school program such as monitoring activities and working with students. Some staff stated that the process has improved somewhat since the beginning of the year, but others reported no improvement. Managers claim that they have worked with the district’s technology department and with Aeries to resolve issues but have had limited success. All school sites now have wireless connectivity and hand scanners. Testing the use of hand scanners for entering attendance into the Aeries system would be beneficial because this could significantly speed attendance inputting and increase accuracy. The after school program would also benefit from management establishing a timeline for solving the attendance issues with the Aeries system and determining a solution for coordinating the after school program’s four-digit student identifiers with the Aeries six-digit system. The facilitators are responsible for reviewing monthly attendance reports and correcting errors. The facilitators then submit the reports to the after school program supervisor responsible for attendance, who reviews them and makes additional corrections as needed. The supervisor noted that the previous attendance system enabled staff to reconcile attendance for all 16 sites in one week, but the Aeries system requires verification of each student and so weekly reconciliation is not possible. The supervisor indicated that he typically makes total of 50 to 100 additional adjustments per month for the entire program after the facilitators check and revise their work. Recommendations The district should: 1. Test the use of hand scanners to enter attendance into the Aeries system. 2. Establish a timeline for solving the attendance issues with the Aeries system. 3. Find a solution for coordinating the current after school program four-digit student identification system with the Aeries six-digit system. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 27 STRATEGY, PROMOTION, AND LINKING WITH THE LCAP Strategy, Promotion, and Linking with the Local Control Accountability Plan The new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) requires districts to increase or improve services to students who qualify for free or reduced price meals, and those classified as foster youth or English learners, in proportion to the increase in funds apportioned to the district because of supplemental and concentration grant funding. In addition, each district is required to prepare a local control accountability plan (LCAP) that describes the goals for each of the eight state priorities and specific actions to achieve those goals. Increased spending to help students increase achievement and to provide them with more services is foundational to fulfilling LCAP requirements, and the after school program is an excellent means through which to support these local and state priorities. LCAP provides an excellent opportunity to connect the regular school day curriculum with the after school program to provide extended services and support to students. Several staff and community partners expressed ideas about the best ways to promote the after school program and ensure that it grows. This should be a critical focus because the program is funded based on student attendance and has lost 12% of its funding over the last six years. The best way to promote the after school program is by involving principals, teachers and staff at each school site to promote the program as an extension of the school day. This would provide a direct link to test results, student attendance, and identification of students who need additional academic intervention. At the same time, because targeting students who have the greatest academic needs may not increase enrollment, the program should be open to all students. Parental involvement is also essential to the LCAP process. Parents can be encouraged to become engaged in all aspects of the students’ school day. After school program managers and community partners can distribute flyers to promote the program and brochures to send home to all parents. The program coordinator has provided banners, developed flyers, and requested that principals include the after school program registration form in the schools’ registration packets. School site staff acknowledged these efforts but indicated that they have had limited success. Although after school program managers have developed marketing materials, the school sites have been required to print the materials and prepare them for distribution. Staff expressed concern that the flyers were provided to school sites on the last day of school; recruitment banners were provided in September even though school started in August; and summer registra- tion was done concurrently with regular year recruitment, which caused confusion for parents. Distributing promotional materials in a timely manner would eliminate these issues. School site staff and Boys & Girls Club personnel stressed the importance of having a variety of activities to keep students interested, and indicated that attendance drops when students are bored with the activities. Agency personnel stated that they are well equipped to ensure that activities are engaging and varied; however, the local Boys & Girls Club’s offers to provide support have largely been ignored. After school program staff acknowledge that when site administrators are actively involved in the program, attendance is high and there are often waiting lists to get into the program. Site admin- istrator involvement is an essential part of the after school program. Alvord Unified School diStrtict 28 STRATEGY, PROMOTION, AND LINKING WITH THE LCAP Recommendations The district should: 1. Promote the after school program at the school sites by involving principals, teachers and staff to promote the program as an extension of the school day, thus linking the school day and after school programs. 2. Encourage parents to become engaged in all aspects of the students’ school day. 3. Develop a recruitment plan that is timely and allows sites to focus on students with academic needs and recruit the number of students needed to meet enrollment targets. 4. Ensure that promotional materials are distributed in a timely manner. 5. Ensure that school site administrators are involved in promoting, advocating for and supporting the after school program. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 29 COMMUNITY PARTNERS Community Partners Wylie Center The after school program has contracted with the Carolyn E. Wylie Center, which provides school-based intervention and prevention services including substance abuse prevention and topically oriented presentations regarding substance abuse; conflict management and/or other related issues; crisis intervention and assessments; individual counseling; support groups focusing on substance abuse, anger management, and/or other related topics; parenting classes, presen- tations and/or consultations; faculty training and/or consultation; and information and referral services. The Wylie Center provides in-kind services to the after school program, valued at no less than $13,280 and no more than $85,260 annually. The Wylie Center counselors interviewed explained that they work with the district’s schools during the regular school day and then work after school for after school program. They conduct individual and group counseling as well as monthly presentations on a variety of topics such as anger management, peer relations, and healthy living. The counselors acknowledged that their themes and topics do not necessarily align with the regular school program or the after school program monthly agenda, though they do try to include writing and speaking skills in their presentations. Best practice would be to ensure that counselors align their services with the after school program and school day programs. Recommendation The district should: 1. Ensure that counselors align their services with those of the school day and the after school program. City of Riverside The City of Riverside provides services at the four middle school after school program sites for a total amount of $384,759 annually and provides in-kind contributions of approximately $15,700 annually. The city provides a recreation coordinator who oversees activities at all four school sites, assistant recreation coordinators who provide staff supervision at the four school sites, and instructors and recreation leaders who supervise students. The recreation coordinator’s primary focus is to ensure that the school sites are adequately staffed and that the program components are implemented in conformity with the district’s goals and objectives. The recreation coordinator acknowledged that the hourly rate of pay is not high and that the instructors and recreation leaders are often college students who move on to other posi- tions as their education levels increase. The coordinator works with the assistant recreation coordinators to ensure that staff are imple- menting the programs correctly and maintaining professional behavior. Because these staff are hired by the city, district staff cannot supervise or discipline them. Student discipline is the responsibility of district staff and is managed differently from site to site. Some city staff expressed concern that students are sometimes given too much latitude and that more consistency would benefit both students and staff. City staff emphasized that structure Alvord Unified School diStrtict 30 COMMUNITY PARTNERS and consistency are important and that it is important for consequences to be implemented, especially if a students is injured as a result of the behavior of others. City staff noted that there is tension in the after school program. Some city staff mentioned that there is one less supervisor during the busiest time because site facilitators must input attendance during the first hour of the after school program. The assistant recreation coordinators work collaboratively with the site coordinators. In addition to dealing with staff performance issues, they provide staff training when needed. The assistant coordinators try to work closely with their staff, observe activities, and provide student guidance when needed. Recommendations The district should: 1. Develop a middle school discipline plan that is administered the same at all middle school after school program programs. 2. Ensure that program facilitators are available to staff and students during the busiest times. Boys & Girls Club The local Boys & Girls Club provides 86 staff members at the elementary school sites including a program director, site coordinators, and youth development specialists. The club’s vice president helps the program director when needed. There is a consensus among after school program and Boys & Girls Club staff that the relation- ship is tenuous. An example presented by management from both entities is a disagreement regarding which positions should be funded. After school program managers stated that, for the 2013-14 school year, there was a need to reduce the contract with the Boys & Girls Club because revenues had decreased. In the 2012-13 school year, the district had two contracts with the club totaling $1,027,260, as follows: • A contract for August to December 2012, for $453,300, and • A contract for January to June 2013, for $573,960 The 2013-14 agreement, which covers August 2013 through June 2014, is for a total of $33,405 less than the 2012-13 agreement. Boys & Girls Club management proposed reducing after school program management rather than reducing the BGC contract because they provide the largest number of staff and need to provide adequate supervision. The Boys & Girls Club ulti- mately downgraded its management position to help reduce costs. The district and Boys & Girls Club management recognize that there has been significant tension since the Boys & Girls Club began working with the district in 2011. District staff stated the Boys & Girls Club has tried to take over the program and make decisions that properly belong to the district. Boys & Girls Club managers stated that they had no interest in taking over the after school program; they indicated an understanding that they were promised an opportunity to create a partnership with the after school program but that they were told subsequently that no partnership exists that involves decision-making. Boys & Girls Club management claim that they Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 31 COMMUNITY PARTNERS are not consulted regarding staff training needs or enrichment activities, and that they are denied the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussion with the district regarding program activities. The Boys & Girls Club and the after school program have different understandings regarding their partnership: the Boys & Girls Club perceives a partnership that includes joint deci- sion-making, whereas the after school program perceives a partnership in which the Boys & Girls Club provides staff and in-kind support. After school program staff cited as an example of the differing perspectives the fact that Boys & Girls Club staff refer to students as Boys & Girls Club members while after school program staff consider them as the district’s students. After school program staff also indicated that the Boys & Girls Club sometimes requests student information that the district cannot provide. There is a perception among after school program staff that the Boys & Girls Club disrupted a transition proposed in June 2013 from the Boys & Girls Club to Riverside Personnel Services (RPS). Some after school program staff stated that it appeared that the Boys & Girls Club told employees they would lose their jobs if RPS took over the program and then spoke with RPS managers and convinced them not to accept a contract with the district. Boys & Girls Club management stated that the district’s school board declined to approve the RPS contract because under it prospective employees would not be properly screened before being hired. After school program staffs noted that the Boys & Girls Club has continual difficulty main- taining staffing. At the time of the FCMAT fieldwork, some sites that were not fully staffed and were relying on substitute staff. Because the Boys & Girls Club does not have enough substitutes, some school sites were operating with fewer staff than necessary to adequately run the program. Some after school program staff said there would be advantages to hiring and managing their own staff, but also noted that it takes the district approximately two months to hire staff, which is longer than it takes the Boys & Girls Club. Best practice would be for Boys & Girls Club management to ensure that each elementary school site is adequately staffed and that sufficient substitutes are available. As is the case with the City of Riverside, the district’s site facilitators are responsible for the program agendas and supervising students while the Boys & Girls Club site coordinators are responsible for supervising staff. Some after school program staff explained that sometimes problems are created because the Boys & Girls Club and the City of Riverside do not want after school program staff to say anything to their staff without an their own coordinator present. Some after school program staff stated that at times these agencies transfer problematic staff members from one site to another rather than dealing with the problems. The Boys & Girls Club managers believe that difficulties between their organization and the after school program are caused by the after school program coordinator. They stated that the coordinator does not collaborate with them and does not allow other after school program staff to work collaboratively with their organization. Examples include difficulty getting thank you notes or artwork from students for contributions made by outside organizations involved as a result of Boys & Girls Club management, and in-kind contributions that are not distributed to students. They mentioned that they do not experience these types of problems collaborating with other districts they serve. Boys & Girls Club managers state that they have tried various strategies to deliver in-kind contri- butions, including directly to school site facilitators and principals, but the coordinator prefers that all communication come through her. Boys & Girls Club managers express frustration regarding lost opportunities to help students and families because of the obstacles and difficulties Alvord Unified School diStrtict 32 COMMUNITY PARTNERS they have working with the coordinator. One example they provided was Family PLUS (Parents Leading, Uniting, Serving), a Boys & Girls Club outreach program designed to support families. Boys & Girls Club managers claim it took weeks for the coordinator to agree to help with the program’s implementation. Boys & Girls Club managers indicated that communication is a serious problem because the after school program coordinator attempts to limit the information provided to them and their staff. They stated that the coordinator does not allow Boys & Girls Club staff to attend many of the after school program meetings, including the facilitator and coach liaison meetings that would give all involved opportunities to coordinate and collaborate. Boys & Girls Club managers said that they do not anticipate an improvement in program coordination and collaboration. Recommendations The district should: 1. Work with and encourage the Boys & Girls Club BGC to process new staff and ensure that each elementary school site is adequately staffed and that sufficient substitutes are available. District administrators should establish and define the roles of each community partner organization and guidelines for collaboration on program goals, content and delivery. 2. Establish effective communication between the after school program coordi- nator and Boys & Girls Club management to ensure the proper delivery of in-kind contributions and outreach efforts. 3. Include community partners in all meetings that involve how the district plans to align program content with its curriculum and the Common Core State Standards. 4. Ensure that district-level managers intervene and mediate the differences between the Boys & Girls Club and the district’s after school program coordi- nator and establish partnership roles. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 33 COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION Communication and Collaboration Individuals interviewed during FCMAT’s fieldwork presented a variety of perspectives regarding the communication and collaboration within the after school program and among partner agencies, district management, and staff. There was general agreement that there is a lack of communication, trust and collaboration among those who work in the after school program. This distrust has affected the program to the degree that staff distrust management’s actions and explanations, and some managers view staff members’ concerns and complaints as unfounded or unwarranted. On the whole, program staff have the perception that the district’s administrators do not give the after school program proper consideration. There is an impression that the after school program is an auxiliary program that is not integrated with all other departments. Examples cited include district administrators meeting with after school program staff without after school program management present; last minute scheduling or cancelling of after school program staff in-ser- vices; and negotiating items, such as work year calendars, without considering the effect on after school program staff. Many after school program staff members expressed frustration with the after school program coordinator and stated that when they express discontent with management, they are talking about the coordinator not the rest of the management team. Some staff explained that there have been attempts to solve some of the after school program communication and trust issues, but staff do not feel safe expressing opinions when the coordinator is present. The program coordinator does not empower after school program managers to make decisions or grant them the authority to contact other departments regarding program needs. Program managers are reluctant to offer suggestions or promote site staff recommendations because previous attempts to do so had negative results. Managers simply provide information to the program coordinator and do not provide input that could add value to the program. Significant work is needed to improve the program’s organization and coordination with the school day curriculum, but these efforts will not be effective without substantial work on communication and trust. Several after school program staff and partner agency personnel expressed frustration because the coordinator controls and restricts access to information, prohibits meeting without her presence, and has effectively isolated components of the program and individual staff from one another. No one other than the program coordinator has complete knowledge of all aspects of the program, which makes it difficult or impossible for any one employee to serve as backup or support. Some staff commented that the coordinator has made the workplace almost unbearable and it is difficult to work under those conditions. One example cited was that when a parent arrived at a school site intoxicated, the site facilitator locked herself in the office and called 911. The facili- tator was reprimanded for calling 911 before contacting the coordinator. One former employee remarked she would still be working for the after school program if there had been a different coordinator. Several staff and partner agency personnel commented that they work well with the program manager and other supervisors. Alvord Unified School diStrtict 34 COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION Recommendation The district should 1. Review the recommendations provided in this report and create an action plan that addresses each recommendation. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 3355 APPDERNADFIXT Appendix Study Agreement Alvord Unified School diStrtict 3366 DARPPAEFNTDIX Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 3377 APPDERNADFIXT Alvord Unified School diStrtict 3388 DARPPAEFNTDIX Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 3399 APPDERNADFIXT Alvord Unified School diStrtict 4400 DARPPAEFNTDIX Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 4411 APPDERNADFIXT Alvord Unified School diStrtict Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM